Switch Lighting has some competition

[slebans]

http://ledsmagazine.com/products/37274
Follett releases liquid cooling dimmable LED bulb

Date Announced: 02 Jan 2013

LED Liquid cooling dimmable bulb with IP65 Waterproof

6W/8W , 100LM/W

* Dimension(mm):44(D) *92(H)
* Working voltage:AC220V
* LED:3014*87pcs
* CCT:2700-6000K
* Power Factor:>0.9
* Beam angle:360°
* CRI: Ra>75
* Life Span: >35000Hrs
* Dimmable
* Waterproof: IP65
* Replace Incandescent Lamp:40W

 

[Steve K]

a shame that the "bulb" is translucent... half of the fun of the Switch bulb was getting to see the LEDs inside of the fluid!

The phrase "LED: 3014 * 87 pcs" makes me assume that there are 87 LEDs, and the package size for each LED is 3014. Can this be the correct interpretation? It would be a challenge to pack 87 LEDs into that volume, I would think.

 

[slebans]

a shame that the "bulb" is translucent... half of the fun of the Switch bulb was getting to see the LEDs inside of the fluid!

The phrase "LED: 3014 * 87 pcs" makes me assume that there are 87 LEDs, and the package size for each LED is 3014. Can this be the correct interpretation? It would be a challenge to pack 87 LEDs into that volume, I would think.

The standard 3014 package dimensions are 3 x 144mm. The LEDs are driven at 20-30mA with a forward voltage of 3.1.


I believe we are going to see more low power SMDs used for general lighting products. The LEDs are pennies each.

 

[SemiMan]

I would not believe the spec of most of these Chinese lighting companies without independent testing.

They list ul and etl on their website for some of their products but neither etl or ul list any products at all made by this company. That is not very honest but more the rule than the exception with most Chinese bulb companies.

Switch has some patents they run afoul of as well.

I am not sure that massive amounts of smd LEDs will be the way of the future except for fluorescent replacements. Manufacturing cost for quality LEDs will be higher and failure rates will be higher too. Chinese labour costs and assembly costs have no where to go but up. The other issue is color control. Too expensive to test and bin super cheap parts and no ability to control color. That makes it more difficult to cost effectively maintain highly accurate white points which will become standard.

Semiman

 

[Steve K]

There are certainly advantages to using a string of many LEDs as a way of matching the string's Vf to the incoming AC voltage (and I've used this for one light myself). However... using lots of discrete LEDs is going to increase the reliability risks due to the large number of solder connections. A better solution would be to use the LED arrays that Bridgelux has made popular. That allows the connections between LED dice to be made with bond wires, and using a more reliable method than solder.

On the other hand.. soldering 87 LEDs shouldn't be that much harder than soldering the hundreds of resistors, caps, and IC leads that are common to consumer electronics. Should the solder joints for the LEDs be much less reliable? Or is it just the thermal stress and cycles of the LEDs that make the solder joint quality more critical?

 

[SemiMan]

I agree with your comment about Bridgelux as in a Bridgelux array there is 1 bond wire per die (average), where with multiple LEDS, there are 2 bond wires per die plus the solder connections, encapsulations, etc.

LED bulbs generally do see a level or thermal cycling though that gets better as the LEDs get better.

I don't think it is that much different from a bunch of resistors beyond the fact that bulbs normally run warm/hot which reduces reliability.

I do believe it is more a statistical failure issue. One can have a lot of bulbs in an installation, and if each has lots of joints cycling and running warm, then the odds of failure do go up. That is not unlike any other piece of electronics. The benefit is that bulbs don't move (normally).

Semiman

 

[127.0.0.1]

have any lamp receptacle or base manufacturers stated that they are beefing up components to handle
the added weight of LED lights ?

I have a few LED's installed at home and they weigh a ton. not sure I am going to use them in ceilings

 

[slebans]

have any lamp receptacle or base manufacturers stated that they are beefing up components to handle
the added weight of LED lights ?

I have a few LED's installed at home and they weigh a ton. not sure I am going to use them in ceilings

The issue of weight is slowly disappearing. As the LEDs become more effecient less heat sinking(metal) material is required. I also see more bulbs using non metal heat sinks(thermaplastic etc.).